News

What we're digging right now: Kheswa & Her Martians

Photo courtesy FlipSwitch
Photo courtesy FlipSwitch

Can you imagine not being able to listen to or play the kind of music you love? South Africa experienced such a plight before and during the Apartheid era, when a self-imposed boycott of jazz led to a diaspora of musicians from the segregated country. Now, Broadway star and gifted ensemble singer Nonhlanhla Kheswa is memorializing those trying times with a beautiful new release: Meadowlands, Stolen Jazz (Xippi Phonorecords). Named for Strike Vilakazi's rebellious 1955 composition, this live album glides, glistens and bops like few modern jazz collections do. Kheswa & Her Martians strut from throwback numbers (the breezy "Tshona") to rhythmic powerhouse performances ("Jikele Maweni"). The chanteuse's vocals are striking and heart-pounding as she summons the storytelling prowess she nurtured as a featured singer for The Lion King and as a member of Wyclef Jean's crew. Hers is a voice that can command the sun to rise and the moon to dance. Meadowlands, Stolen Jazz not only serves as an impressive (re)introduction to Kheswa's artistry, but it also is a testament to the rich history of the genre that South Africa has nurtured. Study up and prepare to be moved.

More from Melissa Bobbitt (See All)
Permalink to
Music
Interview - Scars on 45
  Melissa Bobbitt      0

Photo courtesy Atlantic Records Many bands' roads to success have been paved in gold, but the cobbled road Scars on 45 took came with a silver lining. The gossamer-pop/rock outfit from Leeds, England took a...

Feb 28, 2012

Permalink to
Music
Album Review - Orenda Fink, 'Blue Dream'
  Melissa Bobbitt      0

Orenda FinkBlue DreamSaddle Creek There are plenty of meditative tomes on death and the afterlife. Mortality is undeniably universal, and often artists worry about their legacies. Humans, in their passing, can continue to offer love, guidance...

Aug 18, 2014